SIL laughed at the damage

[ThunderDC]

SIL brought her son down today (he’s 6) and he knocked a cup over which spilt coffee on my tablecloth. I picked it up and it was dripping coffee and SIL was practically crying with laughter. I asked what was funny and she said “that hideous table cloth! Where did you get it?” !!! So basically it’s ok that it was damaged because it was “hideous” to start with??

Pic or didn’t happen
But yes, she’s rude AF and would definitely be getting said tablecloth for every birthday and Christmas until the end of time.

How rude. The tablecloth could be a family heirloom for all she knows. I have a fabulous hand embroidered tablecloth that my great grandmother made - some people might think it's hideous, but I treasure it, and would be very upset if it got ruined.

Her reaction sounds like she was embarrassed and tried to turn the whole thing into a joke.

She doesn't share an office with a woman whose husband has cheated on her does she?

Show us yer tablecloth

That's plain rude!

She shouldn't have laughed or said it was hideous, not her place, in her position I would have apologised and tried to sort the tablecloth but I have to say I've had people spill things on tablecloths in my house (they've been mortified), and I honestly haven't cared about it. Ive done it myself, it's quite normal and most things can be laundered easily enough.

I'm not saying you were annoyed about the spillage, I'm sure you were not.

Sometimes people close to us think they can say anything that comes into their head, we should all be more tactful. What may be hideous to one is a thing of beauty to another.

I’m with @incognitomum

She’s rude and immature.

Use this knowledge wisely.

You should have wrapped it round her head. I wouldn’t let her over the doorstep again, the silly cow.

How was it damaged? Normally you can wash or wipe them?

She’s minimising to throw you off so you don’t put her in a situation where she has to apologise for his behaviour. I would avoid her as she’s toxic as hell.

Preventing spills damaging the wood underneath is what table cloths are for, so I couldnt get worked up about that. But her attitude is horrible,

Op didn’t say she was annoyed at the spillage, just the (extremely juvenile) reaction of the child’s mum?

She's not modelling great manners to her ds that's for sure. It was obviously an accident but she should have apologised and been a bit more adult.
Is she very highly strung and prone to hysterical laughter at inappropriate moments?

Maybe she was trying to be funny?
Are tablecloths still a thing?

A tablecloth will wash surely? So an accident rather than 'damage"

Hardly the point, her son was clumsy and she was appallingly rude. Maybe the OP will give her opinion on her SIL's soft furnishings when they next visit.
Personally I would have been tempted tpo chuck the table cloth at her if it was still dripping!

Why are posters asking to see the tablecloth before they decide. The SIL was rude regardless of what the tablecloth looks like, if you can't see that you are equally was rude as she was

Are tablecloths still a thing?. What does this mean? Do you think op deserved to be sneered at by having the audacity to use a tablecloth when it’s not a “thing”? Not that it isn’t, but it’s utterly irrelevant.
The fucking manners of some people

Why would spilt coffee even be that funny to start with? Did it pool into the shape of a penis or something?

She sounds rude and weird.

It doesn't matter if it's a priceless heirloom or a bargain from Primark, since when is it remotely acceptable to laugh about damaging other people's property?

She’s minimising to throw you off so you don’t put her in a situation where she has to apologise for his behaviour

I agree.

wash it, no big deal, move on

@coconuttelegraph because it seems pretty OTT to call a tablecloth hideous and it's some puce multi-ruffled nylon monstrosity we could do with the laugh. (maybe that's just me)

Obviously she was rude AF, but the idea of a tablecloth being so hideous staining it is better naturally piques our curiosity.

(I may have accidentally-on-purpose spilled nail varnish on a rug a relative gave me and expected to see on display whenever they visited)

Very rude.

Don't invite her again.

YANBU.

She was rude.

I would like to see the tablecloth though